Lithuanian president signs decree on government composition

VILNIUS, Aug. 5 (Xinhua) — Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda signed a decree on the composition of the new government of Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte on Monday, according to a statement from the President’s Office.
According to the decree, the government will have two new ministers. Aurimas Peckauskas, acting as Deputy Health Minister, has been appointed health minister, and Kazys Starkevicius, chairman of the Seimas Committee on Economic Affairs, has been appointed agriculture minister.
The other 12 ministers, who were in office before the courtesy resignation of the government, will continue their work, the President’s Office said.
The cabinet is being reappointed because the Lithuanian constitution requires the prime minister to resign at the presidential inauguration. Re-elected in May for a second term, Nauseda was sworn in earlier in July.
The president re-appointed Simonyte as Prime Minister on July 22 and, according to the law, instructed her to form a new cabinet of ministers within 15 days.
On Friday last week, Simonyte submitted a new cabinet composition to the president, proposing to replace agriculture minister and health minister. ■